My ABI portholes need work- Some of the Tightening toggles have actually sheared off. On one the attachment of the glass face to the primary structure has sheared off. Its as if the threads were of poor quality and corrosion set in. I thought about just buying new ones – wow they are expensive. Now It thinking about trying to repair the old ones- any advice would be appreciated. Thanks --Pat Satori #94
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Hello Pat,
Recently pulled all of my ABI ports and had similar issues. Some of the threaded toggle atachments had sheared at the threads. I would repair them if possible as the cost of new ports must be considered.
The most difficult part of the job is removing the ports without damaging the paneling. If removing more than 1 port insure that you mark the loaction for the specific port on the opening as well as all parts for that specific port. Do not assume you can mix parts from one port to another. I found that the finish rings (outside) do not always have the same hole centers from one port to another. Interchangability of any ABI cast parts is never a certainity as they are often made by different suppliers.
For the most part the only problem I had to address in repair was the sheared bronze fasteners that held the toggles to the port. These had corroded as there was insufficient bedding and water intruded. I removed the portion of the fastener head stuck in the port by drilling out with a counter bore. Generally they just popped out. The portion of the sheared fastener stuck in the toggle end had to be carefully drilled out and cleaned with a hand tap. ( 1/4-20 ) New bronze fasteners can be purchased from any number of sources.
When replacing the fasteners I put some Boatlife on the threads both to lock them as well as seal them from future corrosion. Avoid using 5200 if possible.
While I had the ports out I also replaced the gaskets which can be purchased from ABI or other sources.
When replacing the ports I used Boatlife as well to rebed completely all parts.
Yes, it’s messy but clean up with mineral spirits works fine. I did all all of the port removal myself but re-installing with the mess of bedding and fastening inside and holding fasteners from the outside would be easier with some help. I was able to reach through the port from inside to the outside with a wrench to retighten but it is a messy job. Good luck !
MARK
SV “LIGHTFOOT”
Mark-- I thank you so much for the information- it will be a great help for the job ahead-- fair winds-pat “Satori”